February 5, 2006 Jewish groups rally for Darfur
RICHARD BLACKWELL AND JANE TABER
TORONTO and OTTAWA -- For Mark Weintraub, it's no surprise that Jewish groups have been in the forefront of efforts to get international action to stop the killing in the Sudanese province of Darfur.
While Jews have always been disproportionately involved in social movements because of their concerns for justice, that's not the whole story, said Mr. Weintraub, chair of the National Darfur Committee at the Canadian Jewish Congress.
"There's no question that in this particular case -- after the shame of Rwanda -- that the possibility the world would sit silent for another possible genocide sent shock waves through some of us in the community," he said.
That was felt particularly strongly among Holocaust survivors, who "knew full well that the silence of the world condemned their relatives and friends to death."
The lobbying efforts of the Canadian Jewish Congress, along with the work of a number of politicians, culminated in last night's "take note" debate on Darfur.
Their efforts can be seen around the Hill, where MPs and senators are wearing green ribbons -- a symbol of the tragedy in Darfur.
The CJC initially ordered 1,500 ribbons, targeting MPs and senators and members of the British Columbia and Ontario Legislatures. It came up with the idea over Passover and had all of three days to make it happen -- designing and ordering the ribbons and calling officials from the four parties, asking them to give them out to their caucus members.
Yesterday, CJC chief executive officer Bernie Farber said he has placed an order for another 4,000.
"We're just being inundated with calls from people who want to wear green ribbons," Mr. Farber said.
"Canada in many respects is leading the way and the Canadian public has taken it to heart."
The CJC has been concerned about Sudan for years, Mr. Weintraub said. The focus on Darfur emanated from the Vancouver arm of the organization, after the community of Darfur nationals there approached the CJC a couple of years ago and asked that it use its advocacy skills on their behalf.
Around the same time a B.C. senator, Mobina Jaffer, was named as the Liberal government's special envoy to Darfur.
The CJC met with B.C. ministers in the federal government, and persuaded them to take the issue to the cabinet table in Ottawa.
While there appeared to be some progress last year as the carnage subsided, it soon became apparent that those advances were temporary. That prompted the CJC to beef up its efforts, encouraging rabbis to discuss Darfur during Passover, and boosting its lobbying in Ottawa.
Meanwhile, Jewish organizations in the United States set April 30 as the date for a major Darfur rally in Washington, providing a focal point for lobby groups, politicians, individuals, and now -- movie actors -- to get their message to others.
Having actor George Clooney and other Hollywood celebrities discover Darfur has been a huge benefit, Mr. Weintraub said.
"The people of Darfur have suffered from a lack of media attention and celebrities can create that media interest," he said. "We have been trying to penetrate the front pages of newspapers for a long time. Sometimes we were successful, [but] for the most part we were not.
"We wish there were a hundred other George Clooneys," he added.
At the same, a number of politicians have been championing the cause.
When the House of Commons returned after the election, the new government asked opposition parties for their debate priorities. Former finance minister Ralph Goodale, in his new role as Opposition House Leader, suggested a debate on Darfur.
"We were anxious to have a discussion about Darfur," he said. "... we were asked if we had suggestions for special subjects to be considered in special debates and we indicated that Darfur would be one of our priorities."
The debate was originally planned for last Tuesday -- Holocaust Remembrance Day -- but scheduling realities shifted it to last night.
At the same time, Liberal MP Keith Martin has put together a motion calling for Canada to present a resolution to the United Nations Security Council, calling for the UN to assemble and deploy a "peace-making force with a Chapter 7 mandate as soon as possible." (The Chapter 7 mandate allows soldiers to use force to protect civilians.)
Dr. Martin was able to submit his motion with the help of Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott and NDP MP Alexa McDonough. He said the Bloc Québécois was concerned with his motion because it used the word "genocide."
The government has put together its own motion calling for action on the Darfur situation. Dr. Martin, who has seen the government's motion, says it is a "hybrid" of the motion he has on the House of Commons order paper. It does not talk about genocide, but refers to "crimes against humanity," he said.
The government will not introduce its motion until the situation with the peace process becomes clearer over the next 48 hours, Dr. Martin said.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060502.DARFURGROUPS02/TPStory/National
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